...Hallyu began roughly 12 years ago when the rest of Asia discovered Korean soap operas. One of the breakthrough dramas was a series 'Winter Sonata' starring Choi Ji-woo & Bae Young-Joon. After that, more Korean dramas saw their way to foreign shores and Korean films and music started to follow suit. Korean marketing people started to see a Korea-centric trend. They dubbed this flow "The Korean Wave" or Hallyu....

15.11.12

[News] Anne to play heroine in 89th NHK morning drama ‘Gochisou-san’.

On November 12, it was announced that actress Anne is going to play the heroine in NHK’s 89th asadora (morning drama) ‘Gochisou-san‘.

The script for ‘Gochisou-san’ will be written by Morishita Yoshiko, whose most famous work is the hit drama series ‘JIN‘ (TBS). The drama will span from the Taisho era (1912~1926) to the Showa era (1926~1989), and its main theme will be ‘food’.

Anne is going to play a woman named ‘Uno Meiko’, who was born into a
family that runs a Western-style restaurant in Tokyo, but later marries
into a family from Osaka. The drama will depict the discrepancy between
the east and west of Japan through her life as a caring mother and
strong housewife.

The story starts during Meiko’s school days at the age of 17~18 and follows her life until her forties. Producer Okamoto Yukie commented, “It’s
a role that requires someone with experience. Therefore we decided not
to hold an audition and search for a rookie, and we cast Anne right
away.”

Anne herself expressed, “It’s an honor to get offered such a big
role. I’d like to keep in mind that this role comes with a big
responsibility and work really hard from now on.” The actress was born in Tokyo herself and can sympathize with the heroine in many aspects. She continued, “The
bewildered moments when discovering completely new things and the
pleasant feeling of astonishment. There are going to be so many
vicarious experiences that I’m going share with the heroine when
exploring Osaka. I hope that I’ll be able to express the happiness
through the food and the happiness that you can share things with
someone, while playing the role as if I am really getting married to
someone in Osaka.”

As for the role of ‘Uno Meiko’, she commented, “Whenever I was
asked about my ideal image of a woman, I’ve always answered that I
admire the women who lived from the Meiji to the Taisho era and in the
Showa era. Back then, women still lived true to the old traditions, but
at the same time, they’ve gradually become much stronger and began to
live with a completely new sense of values. I’m really glad that I get
to play a woman who is experiencing exactly that during those times.”

Of course, she’s also very cautious of her own eating habits and explained, “I
never miss one of my three proper meals every day. No matter how early I
have to get up, I’m always forcing myself to at least prepare something
simple to eat.”

At the press conference, Anne also revealed that she already told her father, actor Watanabe Ken,
about the good news and that he is definitely rooting for her despite
being so far away at the moment. The photographers from the press corps
asked her to pose like ‘Gochisou-san’, which was easier said than done.
In the end, she came up with a pose similar to the ‘Ossu!’ greeting pose
in the ‘Gochi ni Narimasu!’ corner of the popular variety show ‘Guru-Guru Ninety-Nine‘, which made everyone in attendance laugh.
Scriptwriter Morishita commented, “I want to create a morning
drama that presents all those meals in each 15-minute-long episode and
make the viewers want to give it their best every day as well. The
feeling of loneliness despite an always abundantly laid dining table is
what I hope the viewers will experience together with the characters.”

Anne’s husband in the drama has yet to be announced, but the producer
has already revealed that it’s going to be a man that embodies the
Showa era.

The filming for ‘Gochisou-san’ is expected to start in May, 2013. The
first broadcast of the 150-episode series will air on September 30,
2013.